[NEW DELHI] A group of Indian botanists say that the country's stringent biodiversity laws are stifling research.

In an article in the latest issue of Current Science (25
January), published by the Indian Academy of Sciences, the scientists
say India's "draconian" rules on free exchange of biological samples
could "totally isolate Indian biodiversity researchers and is akin to a
self-imposed siege on scientists in the country".

India's biodiversity rules, established in 2002, do not permit
Indian scientists to deposit their specimens in international museums
and stipulate that specimens must be kept in selected national
repositories.

The scientists, including K. D. Prathapan from Kerala Agriculture
University and Priyadarsanan Dharma Rajan from the Ashoka Trust for
Research in Ecology and Environment, Bangalore, say that while
preventing biopiracy and commercial exploitation of biological
resources is a legitimate concern, it is equally important to protect
the interests of scientists engaged in fundamental research.

They add that fears that India's intellectual property rights might
be compromised if the samples are used commercially are "baseless and
irrational".

Quality research involves extensive collaboration among specialists
and institutions across continents, argue Prathapan and colleagues. And
in taxonomy, which involves classifying samples, accurate
identification of a plant or animal often requires comparison with
closely related specimens that may be present in different countries.

They further argue that depositing specimens in different
international institutions would act as "an insurance against loss of
specimens in India".

But M. Sanjappa, director of the Botanical Survey of India in
Kolkata, told SciDev.Net that stringency is required to fight biopiracy
in the country.

"The law itself need not be changed [for research]. Instead one can
enter into memoranda of understanding with individual countries of
scientific groups," Sanjappa says.

He says several Indian institutes are already engaged in the
exchange of plant specimens with the international network of herbaria
developed by the Vienna-based International Association of Plant
Taxonomy.

The scientists hope the Indian government will follow the example of
Brazil, which repealed its initially tough rules for biological
specimens after protests by scientists